Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-04-22
MOB LAW IN IOWA..
Masked Men Force Their Way Into
the Jail ut Corning and Hang
John HI. Mckenzie.
The Entire Proceedings Conducted in a
Quiet Manner-McKenzie's
Crime.
Corning (Iowa) telegram

lSoiAluS lAoWhJ GcAeBTuLl.l
John Mckenzie, the murderer of John
81. Riggs, was taken from the Jail Sunday
morning by a party of masked men and
hanged to a tree in front of the Jail. About
2:2O a. M. about twenty-five armed and
masked horsemen and a wagon loaded with
mon and q battering- ram appeared in front
Of the Jail, moving with strict military dis
cipline under orders from a bold md skill
full leader. When awakened by them
Jailor Pumroy found he had been
locked in his room by the hasp
and staple on the iron door. He fred
three guns of alarm from the win
dows, and McKenzie's voice was heard in
an unnatural, terrifying cry. Shots
through his window quieted him. Mount
ed pickets were placed about the block,
designated by numbers and with soldier
like demeanor. Approaching citizens were
quietly arrested, but permitted to observe
the proceedings under guard. The thun-
der of the battering ram and the splintering
of the doors gave way to the rafting of the
was o~verpowered. The keys were found,
and the work of unlocking proceeded as il
by men familiar with the details. Mckenzie
was heard to exclaim: "If there are any
old soldiers among you let them step for
ward first" He was tied, and a O
thrown about his neck. His intense nerve
and grit did not forsake him. He talked
with the mob as they took him downstairs
and across the street to a maple tree, asked
them to give his watch to his wife, protested
he had killed no other man than Riggs, and
did not intend to kill him. To one wakened
from peaceful slumbers to look out upon
stern men dragging forth a fellow-man,
even though a murderer, to see him lifted
into the air, held while struggling, and
guarded until the strangulation was COM
plete, was indeed horrifying. Before dis
banding the leader addressed the mob in q
low voice, saying:
GENTLEMEN: The work of this night
must remain forever q secret. Let every
participant and every observer take warning
from the man hanging to this tree. The
fate of any man who divulges the name Of
any participant will be as his fate"
All departed except half q dozen horse
men, who kept guard for half an hour, fred
two shots, and rode rapidly away to the
northward. The identity of no participant
was discovered, as they were completely
masked and disguised their voices. The
Coroner's verdict was:
John b. Mckenzie came to his death by
strangulation at the hands of infatuated
POAoOAo ~ uS uAAuOWu, Cduocu tb We ScT1.
ly believe by the hardness Of our courts Of
justice"
Tho Murder for Which Mckenzie Was
Lynched.
Riggs and Mckenzie were neighboring
farmers, and lived near Eureka, about
eight miles from Corning. Mckenzie had
leased about twelve acres of corn land last
year from Riggs from a field of, perhaps,
thirty acres, Riggs farming the remainder.
Mckenzie did not utilize the stalks for
fodder until after March l of this year, when
crop leases expire under the Iowa law, and
on his then attempting to turn cattle in the
fodder Riggs objected because there was no
division fence, and the cattle would over
run his fields. Riggs had sought legal
counsel, and in accordance with it he
locked the gate to the field with a paddock
the morning of March 5. Soon after Nc
Kenzie arrived with his cattle. Having
been informed by his hired man the gate
was locked, he was on horseback, armed
with a revolver. To Riggs he said: "Ill
give you just three minutes to open that
gate" There were no witnesses, but from
McKenzie's own version Riggs started to-
ward the gate when Mckenzie fired, not to
hit, but to scare him, as he says Riggs
stopped and faced Mckenzie, who imme-
diately shot at him, the ball penetrating
below the eye and killing him. Mckenzie
came to Corning and gave himself up as
coolly as though he had killed q neighbours
doc.